1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for producing spagyric essences from fresh or dried plants or parts of plants.
2. Description of Prior Art
Spagyric essences (in Latin "essentia"=the essential matter of a thing) are used as medicaments in connection with human and veterinary medicine. The methods for their production rest on the theoretical background of the alchemistic spagyria. They are, therefore, identified as spagyric production methods or spagyrics. Many written records in this field are known to exist, in particular from Paracelsus. The term spagyrics has been created by the combination of two Greek words: "span" which means to separate, to divide, and "ageirein" which means to bind, to unite. Thus, the word itself defines the typical aspect of the spagyric production method: the curative contents or principles of effectiveness of a basic substance are specifically liberated and are combined into medicaments by suitable repositioning. However, spagyrics extends further in it requirements than the modern, conventional preparation of medicaments. The latter is based on a direct correlation between the chemical substance and the effects. The substance itself causes the effects. For this reason, modern medicament production always tries to isolate or enrich individual active ingredients. Methods used in connection with this approach, in particular with plants, are maceration or extraction. Spagyrics does not make a direct connection between the physical material and the effects. Its understanding of medicaments is based on active principles not directly tied to substances. The substances are merely used as carriers of these active principles. In general, active principles are not tied to individual substances but rather are supported by entire groups of substances. It is assumed that the active principles are located in three components or groups of substances of the plant. These components are: the soluble mineral salts, the volatile aromatic substances and the alcohol generated in the course of fermentation of the raw substances. In accordance with spagyric teachings, these three components must be separately isolated by separation or division and then reunited in a suitable manner. To achieve this, the spagyric basic process consists of four steps:
1. Fermentation PA0 2. Separation PA0 3. Purification PA0 4. Combination
The fermentation of organic components and subsequent distillation to obtain alcohol-containing liquids is a known method used in the most diverse fields. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,497,896 and 4,578,353 disclose such methods for obtaining ethanol. However, the methods are not used for preparing medicaments.
Various methods are known which, as spagyrics, have as their goal the production of medicaments on a vegetable basis in such a way that the healing principles of the plants are obtained.
For example, German Patent Publication DE-A-16 17 314 discloses a method for obtaining wines with prophylactic properties from medicinal plants. The plants are fermented by the addition of water, glucose and yeast. Subsequently, the fermented liquid is separated from the solid components by screening and pressing. Renewed fermentation takes place after honey is added and benzoic acid is added for preservation. After filtration, a drinkable honey wine is produced.
French Patent Publication FR-A-1,539,878 discloses a method for the preparation of a primary tincture on a vegetable basis, wherein the plants are macerated and are subsequently fermented in distilled water. Then the plant residue is separated from the liquid by filtering and pressing. The plant residue is incinerated and the ash is added to the liquid so that the soluble mineral salts can be dissolved in it. Following another filtration, the solution obtained is subjected to light until a clear liquid is obtained.
Both methods have some basic features which correspond with the spagyric teachings. Although both employ fermentation at the start, only simple separation processes follow. However, this separation in accordance with the teachings of German Patent Publication DE-A-16 17 314 is incomplete because mineral substances are rejected together with the screened and pressed residue and are therefore lost. In addition, simple filtration cannot be compared with purification by distillation and reduction of the residue. Although French Patent Publication FR-A1,539,878 teaches isolation of the ash from the fermentation residue, the salts are not purified before being added to the filtrate. With both methods, the filtrate or the pressed matter itself is not subjected to purification processes.
Japanese Patent Publication JP-A-60,87207 discloses a method for obtaining a fermented extract from species of aloe (genus Aloe, Liliaceae family) for external application. In this method, too, the separation is incomplete, analogous to German Patent Publication DE-A-16 17 314.